Albury & District Historical Society

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Albury & District Historical Society

The Albury & District Historical Society was founded in 1960 to play a part in the preservation of t

20/03/2026

The ‘Then’ photo is from the early 1950s. Canns had by then been a popular drapery store in Dean street for many years. The store pictured opened in September 1952 after their original store was destroyed by fire in October 1951.
Next to Canns is the George Hotel. The George commenced trading in Dean street in April 1878. It was remodelled and rebuilt in 1938.
Further along the street is Town Hall Hotel which opened in 1881. It changed hands several times before closing in 1962 and its license was transferred to the Astor Hotel-Motel in Young street.
The T&G insurance building (Temperance and General) was completed in 1940.
Just across the AMP Lane is the AMP insurance building. It is the third AMP building on the site – the first was destroyed by fire in 1885, the second opened in 1886 and was knocked down for the current building which opened in July 1941.

13/03/2026

Alfred Ernest Wood and his brother J B Wood practised as dentists in Albury for much of the first half of the 20th century. The practice was at 484 Dean street, the site now of the Green Zebra. After A B Wood died, J B Wood moved the practice from these premises in Dean street across the railway line to Parkinson street. On the right hand side of the ‘Then’ photo the verandah of Dihood’s Drapery store is visible, now replaced by the Commonwealth Bank.

27/02/2026

Looking north in Kiewa street in about 1920. Left to right: Blacklock’s Theatre Royal (later the Palais Royal), opened in May 1914, demolished about 1980.
Fred Blacklock was a proprietor of the Albury Cycle Agency in the early 1890s. He opened on this Kiewa street site in December 1910, selling bicycles and motor cycles. In late 1913 he took on the Ford motor car agency (see https://alburyhistory.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Frederick-Blacklock.pdf)
On the corner with Dean street was the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (built as the Australian Joint Stock Bank in 1877) and the Globe Hotel, opened in 1860.
In the 'Now' photo, the New Albury Hotel was opened in 1938 after the license was transferred from the Albury Hotel in Dean street.

20/02/2026

A photo from a 1940 booklet and captioned “the Horseshoe Lagoon near Howlong Road.” The Howlong Rd (Riverina Highway??) heads off to the west.

13/02/2026

806 Mate St North Albury, The sign outside in the ‘Then’ photo reads Bannon & Glen Service Station - note the five petrol pumps selling more than one brand. The house at left in the background is still there behind the trees. The ‘Now’ photo has the premises for “Sale or Lease.” The most recent business on the site was Mr Stoves Pool World.
In 1949 council approved the application of Bannon and Glen to build a concrete factory costing £150 on the corner of Mate and Bellevue streets. The ‘Border Morning Mail’ reported in February 1949 that the firm stated it was moving “to Albury from Melbourne and Tumbarumba to establish an engineering centre for repair and maintenance of their bulldozers and other equipment.”
One year later it was reported that “Work of cutting surveyors’ tracks into the mountainous country around Greg Greg and Khancoban, in connection with the Snowy River hydro-electric scheme, is being carried out by Albury firm of Bannon and Glen, Mate st.”
The firm sold in May 1952 to Mr E Gregory. The BMM noted that “Gregory Motors have acquired the Rover Car agency, and are, as well, district agents for Land Rover and David Brown tractors.”

24/01/2026

Map of Albury 1859, go to https://alburyhistory.org.au/resources/downloads/

23/01/2026

A 1940 map of Albury with a good perspective on the extent of Albury in 1940. The map comes from a booklet published by Ecker’s Globe Hotel. Born in Austria, Joe Ecker bought the entire Globe Hotel freehold in 1935 for £30,000. Ecker spent considerable money to modernise the hotel and the family held the license until 1945.
More information can be found in Howard Jones’ book “The Globe Hotel, Such a Nice Place.” Available for sale an Albury LibraryMuseum, $15.

16/01/2026

Looking south east from above Wyse St in the early 1940s. Many of these houses are still there. In the background: CML Building, T&G Building, Post Office, New Albury Hotel.

09/01/2026

Flooding at the Albury Sportsground, in the early 20th century, possibly 1905, 1906 or 1909. The 'Border Morning Mail' of July 13, 1905 reported "The sports ground in its lowest corner is totally submerged." But the 1906 and 1909 floods were higher. The pavilion shown was used until 1915 when the present grandstand was built.

02/01/2026

Published in 'The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil' (Melbourne, Monday 2 July 1883).
The text published with sketch: "THE NEW RAILWAY STATION AT ALBURY. This fine building is a credit to New South Wales, and for size, general convenience, and completeness of design is decidedly the best railway station in Australia. The stationmaster's house, which stands a little apart, is a most handsome residence, while even the porters and firemen are accommodated in a sumptuous fashion. The view we give of the station is that from the, railway line, as being the most interesting, though the front, with its well-proportioned tower, is a great addition to the architectural beauties of Albury."

26/12/2025

A Ken Maynard cartoon that may be appropriate at this time of year.
A policeman addresses the gathering of the Bethanga Anglers Club. The caption on the back of the original reads: “I’m disappointed I didn’t win a trophy this year chaps. Just to show there’s no hard feelings I’ve decided to have only one breathalyser outside the hall tonight.”

19/12/2025

Part of the huge crowd to welcome Santa at Mate’s Corner in 1949. Santa’s ‘horse’ was drawn along Dean street by four young man wearing tall peaked hats (dunces hats?). Santa’s arrival on his wooden horse was an annual tradition that lasted in Albury for 20 years.
In November 1954 the ‘Border Morning Mail’ reported that “Santa won't ride up Dean street tomorrow. Albury police have banned the parade of a wooden horse carrying Santa Claus in Dean street, scheduled by Mate's Ltd for tomorrow afternoon. The ban has caused the break of a 20 year old annual custom. Previously. Santa Claus had ridden his ‘horse’ along the street, throwing balloons, and his appearance had been a great day in the lives of the children of the city and district. Inspector Moore said last night that in other years police protection for on-lookers had been necessary. This year it was felt that with the growing traffic and congestion, children's lives and limbs would be jeopardised if they were pushed under the ‘horse's’ wheels.”

Address

PO Box 822
Albury, NSW
2640

Website

https://www.alburyhistory.org.au/

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